The stretch of the M5 between Junction 5 (A38, Droitwich) and Junction 6 (A4538, Worcester north and Evesham) is the busiest part of the whole motorway. In the Department for Transport’s 2025 traffic counts it carried 150,612 vehicles a day, more than any other stretch between numbered junctions on the M5, and about two-thirds more than the 90,000 or so at an average M5 count point. This page brings together what we know about M5 Junction 5 to 6 traffic: how busy it is, what uses it, and where to check the latest news before you set off.

Latest M5 traffic news near Junction 5 and 6

For everything currently reported on the M5 in both directions, see our latest M5 traffic news. If you are travelling after dark, M5 closures tonight lists the overnight closures, and M5 roadworks shows what is planned.

How busy is the M5 between Junction 5 and 6?

150,612 vehicles a day works out at an average of about 6,276 vehicles an hour, or roughly 105 every minute, around the clock. That is an average across the whole day and night; at busy times the flow is far heavier, and in the small hours far lighter.

The traffic is split fairly evenly by direction. The busiest northbound count point, heading towards Junction 5 and Birmingham, measured 74,551 vehicles a day, and the busiest southbound point, heading towards Worcester, measured 76,061. See M5 northbound traffic and M5 southbound traffic for each carriageway.

Lorries, vans and cars on M5 J5 to J6

Cars and taxis make up about 72% of the traffic here, around 108,634 a day. Lorries account for 15,176 a day, about 10.1% of everything on the road, and no other stretch of the M5 carries as many. The remaining 26,802 or so are mostly vans, with buses, coaches and motorbikes making up the rest.

That mix matters when something goes wrong. With this many lorries in the traffic, a breakdown or a closed lane between Droitwich and Worcester can back up quickly, so it is worth checking M5 accidents before a long journey and allowing a little extra time.

What is at each end of the stretch?

Junction 5 is where the A38 meets the M5 for Droitwich. Junction 6 takes the A4538 towards the north of Worcester and on towards Evesham, and the Worcester Six business park sits right beside it. North of Junction 5 the M5 carries on to Junction 4a, where the M42 joins, which is the second busiest stretch of the M5. South of Junction 6 the motorway runs on past Worcester to Junction 7.

The nearest service areas are Frankley Services, between Junctions 3 and 4 to the north, and Strensham Services at Junction 8 to the south. You can see every junction and service area on our map of the M5 junctions, and the speed limits being shown on overhead signs on M5 speed signs.

How J5 to J6 compares with the rest of the M5

The four busiest stretches of the M5 sit in two pairs: two in Worcestershire, around the M42 junction, and two on the northern edge of Bristol, around the M4 junction. Junction 5 to 6 is at the top of the table below.

Rank	M5 stretch	Vehicles per day	Cars & taxis	Lorries
1	J5 to J6	150,612	108,634	15,176
2	J4a to J5	136,816	99,318	13,457
3	J15 to J16	129,400	97,396	10,610
4	J16 to J17	121,685	90,630	9,618
5	J1 to J2	119,998	83,626	11,454
6	J20 to J21	118,811	92,064	7,702

Traffic figures are annual average daily flows, both directions together, from the Department for Transport road traffic statistics for 2025. The DfT measures the M5 at 55 count points; the ranking uses the 24 stretches that run between numbered junctions. Where a stretch has more than one count point, the busiest measured point is shown. Hourly and per-minute figures are simple averages across the whole day and night, not peak-time figures. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.